Mirkwood Motley, LLC

So, here's my latest addition to the Mirkwood Motley portfolio. A friend asked for a 'Green Man' plaque to be a detail of the original Green Man plaque which resides over our bar and our front door. The original was rather large and not practical, the new one is a more manageable, 14" x 26". I cold-cast it using a Smooth Cast 325 Colormatch resin with black pigment and bronze powder. Backfilled it with a colormatch 325 gel coat with a brown pigment. I must say I was very happy with the result, and I believe so was my friend..A 000 steel wool really made the bronze metal sheen pop.

For my bar I wanted something a little different, latex heads rather than silicon, inside a glass dome. They just feel real! (Not that I know what real shrunken heads feel like I may add) I couldn't cast latex in silicon molds, the mold needs to be porous, so I made Ultracal molds and slush cast several layers of mask latex. These I painted again with the acrylic and latex mixture and Kat lovingly finished them. I did a lot of gruesome research into the head decorations, and I think they turned out rather well

So, after a wonderful trip to the Orlando Universal Studios' two Harry Potter parks, I decided that no house is complete without shrunken heads.
I ordered a commercial one online to act as a guide and I sculpted three unique heads. Cast them in 65D resin, painted them a mixture of black, blue, and espresso acrylic mixed with latex, this created a nice texture, and my wife, Kat, bless her, had the unenviable task of decorating them. This set went to a friend's house who has a Tiki bar.

I have to sculp the Krampus head next but I'm in no rush. Not sure whether to use latex or silicon.

...continuing with Krampus how to fix horns to one's noggin? So I have a full head cast onto which I sculpted clay posts for the horns, then using 1511 liquid plastic from Polytek I made a skullcap and dammit if it didn't just work perfectly! The horns themselves were rotocast using Smooth Cast 65D from Smooth On, then back filled them with foam to add strength.

It's been a while. I've been working on a few things:-

A Krampus mask, have to admit I love Krampus, I really like the darker folkloric aspect of Yule, and I would love to be in on a Krampuslauf, or parade, perhaps not for this year (thanks COVID)but maybe next Yuletide. First goal is to achieve realistic lightweight horns. These were molds of real sheep horns, cast in high impact resin.
After several tries I think I managed to get the colour almost right.

Always wanted a portrait of Uncle Creepy from the Warren magazine ‘Creepy’ back in the mid 60s. Could never afford one then so now it’s 2021 and I’ve drawn my own. It’ll be greeting patrons to my bar.
It was the Creepy and Eerie comics where I got inspiration from artists like Frank Frazetta Reed Crandall and Bernie Wrightson, masters of their art

Well I have two more sets of 'Gates of the Argonath' for sale on EBay, and I'm pretty sure that these will be the last. Yes I know I said this last time BUT the molds have now deteriorated to the point where the finishing just takes too long to make a sale viable. I am intending to pop out one last set for myself though I have wanted to make a large diorama of the statues flanking the river Anduin, with the boats and the fellowship between them. I might even include the falls of Rauros.
I am so very proud of this piece, I know it's not my design but I feel I'm doing them justice and filling a need for a larger set of these incredible statues.
Finally to the small fellowship who own a set of 'Gates of the Argonath' I say again thank you, I am truly humbled.

The Sign I made for JZ,s ‘A Taste of Georgia’ is up on the wall outside the shop and I’m very proud to have a piece of my art be a prominent feature on Main Street, Cartersville, GA. The sign was sculpted in plastiline clay on a real wine barrel top. A mold was made and three resin casts were produced. Two were sandwiched together, sealed and finished with the actual barrel band. The third casting is on wall inside the Shop. The sign bracket was made by Steel Materials, also a Cartersville local business.
Thanks to Lynn, Angie, Bob and Steve for having the confidence in me to advertise their business. Oh and they do have some great local wines, mead and some fantastic Oktoberfest beers on tap

Well I've finally finished my new incense burner, or rather Entcense burner. It now has a hollow trunk which allows the burning of incense cones, as well as sticks and of course it has a fairy door. Just in time for Christmas!

Watched a rather interesting movie on international folklore filmed in various countries and by local directors:
The field guide to Evil.
There were a couple of rather disturbing little fables, but what really impressed me was the production values. They may have been short stories but they looked sublime.
The film started with an anonymous poem - Folklore, with what is called a folk tale closing, basically an alternative ending to ',,,and they all lived happily ever after'

It goes like this:

"The dreamer awakes
The shadow goes by
The tale I have told
That tale is a lie.
But listen to me
Bright maiden, proud youth
The tale is a lie
What it tells is the truth."

And my little contribution to dragon lore. Back in 1991-2 I took a clay sculpting class. I hated the wheel, found it too boring, so while the rest were spinning mugs and plates I made my first dragon out of baked clay with coloured slip, an alternative ending for St. George and the dragon.

Remember Gildor, the elf said to Frodo, complaining of Gandalf being late.....

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards because they are subtle and quick to anger. This has been changed now to

'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons because you are crunchy and good to eat"!

My biggest dragon from Enchantica at 12" is Shannarah The Desert Dragon. Sculpted by Rob Simpson in 2003 it is an incredibly detailed and animated piece I can't imagine, knowing the little I know about mold making how complicated this must have been to produce.

Back in 1990 I had the pleasure of touring the Holland studios with Andrew Bill, and at that point they were casting his magnificent limited edition Flight to Danger. Standing at 22" and just too expensive for me then, 880 GBP around $1100! But I'm keeping my eyes open for a deal.

The next two were sculpted by Ken Fallon in 1998, Zarn or Poison Fire, this is a really good pose with it's wings on the ground just chillin'. and then there is Ja'Quara or Death Fang. Both of these were not characters from Wrath of the Ice Sorcerer.

So my first dragons from Enchantica were sculpted by Andrew Bill, and are now, I believe, quite sought after collectors items. The first is Gorgoyle The spring dragon made back in 1989. followed by Snarlgard The autumn dragon again by Andrew Bill made in 1991

In October 1987 Andrew Bill joined Phillip Holland at Holland Studio Craft, in Fenton, Staffordshire. England (about 10 miles from where I was born in Leek) and one year later they introduced a little fantasy range called Enchantica!
Both Phil and Andy wanted to make a fantasy range and they looked into making a series of figures from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, because at that time no one had made any in resin, but since the rights to the book were owned by Saul Zaentz film company it soon became clear that the cost was going to be far too expensive, plus the film company wanted complete control over the look of the pieces so the idea was quickly dropped.
Then one day while Phil & Andy were having a “business lunch” in the Swan Hotel in Stafford with their American distributor (and driving force) Doug Mitchell, president of Munro Collectables in the US, they heard Doug say “We’ve just got to do Fantasy!” and that was it!
Since Tolkien’s Characters were a no go it was decided that the only way forward was for them to invent a new world for themselves, so it was given to Andy Bill to write a story to go with a proposed range of characters and dragons. What he wrote was to become his first novel of four “The Wrath of the Ice Sorcerer” which became a best seller and introduced the world to Jonquil and his ever faithful companion Ratterjack along with many other characters that inhabited the world of Enchantica that would eventually see the light of day as resin figures.
It's interesting how close Andrew Bills realms of Enchantica is to Tolkien's own map of MiddleEarth

Dragons are a passion of mine, beginning with the dinosaurs of Ray Harryhausen and then my imagining of Smaug after the required reading of the Hobbit (and LOTR) at school. No telling how many dinosaurs and dragons I sculpted as a boy out of plasticine, but now, at 64 I'm feeling the call of the dragon again but this time out of a more permanent resin. This passion was also fueled back in 1989 by a small studio close to home called Holland Studios and a range of characters called Enchantica

Just love our Green Man pub, and sporting my new tee from Bone and Sickle, check out this podcast, and I quote: for a celebration of the intersection of horror, folklore, and history. A bounty of frightful tales, fantastic legends, and macabre historical anecdotes harvested by eccentric artist, collector, and rogue folklorist Al Ridenour, author of The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas....my other passion. Afterwards check out Monster Talk, once again quoting: a podcast that critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. It is hosted by my good friend Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow, and is produced by Blake Smith. Two amazing podcasts.

So who, or what is The Green Man?

The Green Man or Foliate head, is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of a face which is made of, or completely surrounded by, leaves, he is also called Jack-in-the-Green (Jethro Tull, Songs from the Wood).

Sometimes referred to as the Holly King and Oak King, he is the personifications of the winter and summer in various folklore and mythological traditions. The two kings engage in endless "battle" reflecting the seasonal cycles of the year: not only solar light and dark, but also crop renewal and growth. During warm days of Midsummer the Oak King is at the height of his strength; the Holly King regains power at the Autumn equinox, then his strength peaks during Midwinter, at which point the Oak King is reborn, regaining power at the Spring equinox, and perpetuating the succession.

He would appear to be pagan, perhaps a fertility figure or a nature spirit, similar to the ‘Woodwose’ (the wild man of the woods), and yet he frequently appears, carved in wood or stone, in churches, chapels, abbeys and cathedrals. For many modern Pagans, the Green Man is used as a symbol of seasonal renewal and ecological awareness.

In Germany, Iceland, and England, depictions of the Green Man could have been inspired by deities such as Freyr, or Odin, the British Celtic Lud, Osiris, Dionysus, and even Father Christmas, who was often shown wreathed in ivy in early depictions, has been suggested as a similar woodland spirit.

In Wicca, the Green Man has often been used as a representation of the Horned God, with horns and/or antlers, a syncretic deity that incorporates aspects of, among others, Baphomet, the Celtic Cernunnos and the Greek God Pan.
Sometimes the literary figures of Robin Hood, and Herne, the Hunter, are associated with a Green Man, as is Peter Pan and the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

And now, thanks to JRR Tolkien we have The Ents, the tree herders, protectors of the forest. Treebeard, the ultimate Green Man.

So what's with the cover picture?
So our front door had a blank, white, arched panel above it that screamed to be filled. I wanted something English and pagan, after all if you want controversy in the South then display pagan, right? (Well we had already built our stone circle so our neighbours were used to us.)
The Green Man has always been a fascinating subject to me, and we were building our Green Man pub, so I dimensioned the frieze to the empty door panel and sculpted it out of plastiline clay. After making a mold I popped out two casts, one I fitted in the front door panel, and the other for the bar I fitted into an oak door arch from a demo yard.

A variation on the pub sign resulted in the framed plaque you see below. These also sold pretty well, again thanks Valli. The one you see has a copper and patina others were bronze and patina

Another small Green man plaque for my pub, this one is around 6". I'm about tired of painting acorns!

GENESIS OF 'THE GATES....' continued

The Third set I decided "screw copywrite" and try to get as close to the PJ movie statues as possible, just change the name, I didn't think that sales, if any, would threaten Weta's monopoly.
This time I had more rock molds so the cliff started to look a little more realistic. Still a two piece mold, and still not happy with the result. The paint job on this particular set was faux bronze with patina. A nice alternative if somebody wanted it.

Before I retired I manufactured a roto-casting machine, because slush casting, on large molds, is a nightmare! Rotocasting produces a very consistent wall thickness.
So the final set? I think they look pretty good. I'm still perfecting the paintwork (I have to learn airbrushing) but am I happy?..........kinda. Time to move on to something else from The Lord of The Rings. Suggestions?

GENISIS OF 'THE GATES....'
A long time ago, in a State, far, far away....Texas, I made the first set of the Argonath. My good friend Mitch Rogers, (then Reynolds mold maker now owner of BITY mold supplies) showed me how to make a two piece brush mold. It's funny I never saw the inaccuracies in the original sculpt's anatomy.

With the second set I tried to correct the anatomy. The rocks were made from Amaco Sculptamold a kind of papier-mâché, and a rock mold from Woodland Scenics. The cowls and arms were chainmail, and Isildurs' axe was held close to his body. I was thinking to avoid copywrite infringement (talk about arrogance!) Still not happy though, but boy it was a huge learning experience in Mitch's FX mold shop, a lot of fun!

So Weta workshops, the creative force behind the PJ movies and the talented sculptors behind an extraordinary array pf collectibles, unfortunately they come at extraordinary prices, and with such regularity, that only royalty, celebrity's and drug barons can afford to collect. Which is a shame because 99.9% of the hardcore 'ringnuts' are normal people with expenses. My only 'splurge' from Weta, aside from some hobbit holes and small trinkets, is 'Smaug the Golden' the John Howe rendering (faux bronze I'm afraid not the bronze one). I use it for a reality check. When I sculpt something and start to think, "yeah that's bloody good!" this incredible piece of art brings me screaming back to the reality of my place in the cosmos!

So you walk into the 'Green Man' bar entrance from the house and before the 'hobbit' arch, facing you, are three posters from PJ's LOTR; The Fellowship (the inspiration for my 'Gates of the Argonath) flanking 'Sting' together with The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. then the shrine, centrepiece being 'The Gates...' and a hoard of books and memorabilia. To the right you can make out Strider's sword. On leaving the bar, but before exiting under the second 'hobbit' arch are the three posters from PJ's The Hobbit. My precious is 'The Unexpected Journey' with the iconic representation of Gandalf, hand signed by all the primary cast members. I intend for the frontage of the bar to be a loose representation of The Green Dragon in Hobbiton, even down to the round smial door, leaded window and exposed beams. It's a work in progress, and for anyone visiting it's open all hours

The bar top and mantlepiece in our Green Man pub needed decorative corbels which went along with The Green Man theme. A clay sculpt followed by cold cast resin castings and we have our themed corbels. They really look like heavy (expensive) oak corbels which couldn't be further from the truth.

We needed incense burners throughout the house, so Treebeard came to mind and the Entcense burner was created. It was inspired by a resin sculpt I purchased back in the 70's. At the moment it is a stick incense burner but I'm working on a newer stick and cone model

Many years ago I visited Disney's Animal Kingdom and at the Tibetan village I found a small 4" wall plaque of a Hindu girl praying. I loved it and it became the inspiration for a larger 20" plaque in the meditation room. A Plastilene clay original and cold cast faux bronze resin master, mounted to an oak board, copies of which have sold pretty well. Thanks Valli